“I want to see her!” I hear Stacy’s voice, and I glance at the captain. He gives me a quick nod, and I rush to the little girl’s side, picking her up and holding her close to my chest.
“They’re lying,” she sobs. “They keep saying that the Aurelians hurt us!” Stacy’s tears wet my cheek, as she embraces me desperately.
I set her down and look at her very seriously. “Stacy, don’t tell anyone the truth. You aren’t just looking out for yourself now.” I nod towards the other three kids. “You’ve always been the strong one. You need to protect Tod, Tyler, and Runner.”
“But… But Runner betrayed us! He’s the one who snuck out and led them to us.”
I swallow hard. “Runner was only doing what he thought was best. Now you have to do what’s best, and that means cooperating with the authorities. Trust me, Stacy, I’ve never done anything that wasn’t to help you. Let me help you here.”
Stacy nods. She understands that you should never actually tell the truth when the police pick you up and grill you over some petty theft – or it could just make life worse for a street brat like yourself. This situation is a hundred times worse.
It’s a lot to ask of her, but I trust the little girl to know the gravity of the situation, and I can see clearly in eyes that she does.
“Now go back and explain things to the others, okay? If you do things right, you might never have to live on the streets again.”
I hate the bargaining, and I hate telling a child to lie. It’s the truth, though. After the firebombing of Barl, heartstrings will be pulled in the Capital. Four orphans who’ve survived the ordeal will be snatched up in a heartbeat by rich, doting parents from the Capital – perhaps a couple who couldn’t start their own families naturally, or who have the resources to take another child into their families. I’ll personally make sure that the families they go to are wealthy, wise, and responsible.
That, I can do.
My mind is working furiously – racing and jumping from thought to thought.
The firebombing. How could the Capital have done that? How could they burn down an entire city?
Perhaps the decision had nothing to do with cruelty – it was a surefire way to end the threat of a planet-wide Scorp infestation. Yet, I never want to step inside the kind of mind that can make a choice like that so quickly. In truth, with the amount of Scorp warriors in Barl, it would have taken an entire army to stop them from spreading further; and who knows at what cost that victory would have come.
But an army is one thing the Capital has – and yet they chose not to dispatch it. But why? Surely it wasn’t merely an issue of expenses. Perhaps the rumors of tension between Independence and other neighboring planets are more serious than I thought, and the government couldn’t spare the troops from anywhere else.
The whir of heli-ship blades fills the air as transport ships buzz overhead. I look at the three Aurelians with open concern, and the captain notices my gaze.
“Careful with the scum! If there’s so much as a bruise on them, I’ll whip anyone involved!” He gives me a nod and I understand. Captain Arnold overheard my conversation with Stacy. He isn’t a fool, and he knows that I care for the three alien warriors. He’s telling me that if I cooperate, he can reward me with favors. In contrast, if I don’t cooperate…
Then he’ll hurt the Aurelians.
I just hope that the three alien warriors understand that I’m working with the captain for their own good, and don’t think that I betrayed them.
The huge transport ship lands, crushing the vegetation all around it. There’s a crack as our shelter is crushed beneath one of the landing gears. Just last night, I was intertwined in the arms of two of the gorgeous, towering alien warriors, and I nearly tasted the forbidden desires of the once-hated aliens.
Now, instead, I watch our home for that one night crushed into splinters by the forces of the Capital.
A wave of panic threatens to capsize my fragile mental state. I clench my hands into fists and barely regain control of my emotions. I just watched my city burn. I’ve nearly been killed a dozen times. I barely made it out to safety...
…and yet it seems like my journey is just beginning. I have to stay strong.
The Aurelian triad is herded in front of me, into the cargo bay of the transport ship. I engrain the memory of each of their faces in my mind, fearful that I’ll never see them again.
I will get them to safety. I have to.
There’s no room for doubt in my mind as Captain Arnold waves me forward. I look at him without hatred. He’s simply another pawn on the chess board. I’ll find out how to play him to get my three Aurelians out and to somewhere safe.
And the orphans? Will they be better off in the Capital?
I walk towards the transport, feeling the rush of air against my face from the whirring blades. Despite the hurt of never seeing them again, I know that a life on the run is not what the children need. They’ll be treated well in the Capital, I predict – and despite my heartbreak at losing them, I know that’s where they’ll have the best chance for a happy, safe life.
The ship bucks. It is not made for a leisure flight. My leg presses against the man next to me, and a cut, newly healed from this morning, opens up again. I wince in pain and unzip my med-kit as we fly.
“That’s a pricy kit. Did you steal it?” It’s the man from across me. The one to my right chuckles. I ignore them both, pulling out a bandage.
I have to fix my
